PRESS RELEASE – For immediate distribution
MONTREAL, June 17, 2021 — This Thursday, at the Annual General Meeting of the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC), presented by its official partner, the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT), Émilie Dussault, Chair of the Board of Directors and Pierre Moreau, CEO, delivered the 2020–2021 annual review to the members, taking advantage of the occasion to officially launch the celebrations marking the QFTC’s 15th anniversary.
While 2020 saw the postponement and interruption of many projects due to the global pandemic, 2021 brought renewed optimism, with a quick resumption of business. The QFTC played a key role in supporting the sector throughout 2020, responding quickly to the challenges experienced by the industry, while proposing promising initiatives in anticipation of the recovery that now looks more encouraging than ever.
“This year’s review is atypical as well,” stated Pierre Moreau. “Throughout the pandemic, the great efforts made by the QFTC position it as a dynamic, innovative organization. Through its reinvented trade missions, green industry project, discussions on the development of artificial intelligence technologies and the timely completion of a study charting a course towards sustainable growth that could promote Quebec’s energy assets, the Council kept its mission and its members’ concerns top of mind.“
– To read the 2020–2021 Annual Report* –
During the general meeting, Mr. Moreau also informed members of his decision to not renew his mandate as CEO of the Council.
“I am leaving with a sense of accomplishment,” stated Mr. Moreau, “having headed the Council with sensitivity and passion by helping, with the members of the QFTC’s Governance Committee and the entire QFTC team, to establish an ambitious development agenda and by initiating fundamental discussions on future-focussed topics. I would like to thank our political and institutional partners for their invaluable trust, members of the business community for their support and their involvement on our committees, our Board of Directors for its dynamism and sound advice, as well as the fantastic team at the QFTC.
The Board of Directors and the entire QFTC team would like to acknowledge Pierre Moreau’s contribution to promoting the interests of the audiovisual sector:
“The Board of Directors is grateful to have had the chance to collaborate with a person of Pierre Moreau’s quality and competency,” stated Émilie Dussault, Chair of the QFTC’s board of directors. “His understanding of the world of business, his unifying energy and his strategic insight instilled a new vision in the QFTC, and his impact will be felt in the years to come. During his term, his leadership helped position the organization solidly on the global level and anchored it firmly among its members, its public and private partners and stakeholders involved in the development of Montreal and all of Quebec. On a more personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Pierre, for your incredible contribution to Quebec’s audiovisual industry!”
Pierre Moreau will step down on September 1st, ensuring a smooth transition with his successor. The Board of Directors has already begun the process leading to the appointment of a new CEO.
HIGHLIGHTS
Foreign productions: There was nearly a 50% decrease in foreign productions compared to 2019, with economic benefits dropping from $360M to $189M this year. This decrease can be explained largely by the complete halt in filming that the entire audiovisual industry experienced during the first half of 2020. The border closing also impeded the resumption of several productions. This business sector changed significantly, and a strong recovery is expected for 2021.
Visual effects: As the QFTC had anticipated as a result of regular surveys of the visual effects industry throughout the year, this sector was also strongly impacted by the crisis, with economic benefits falling from $622M in 2019 to $390M in 2020. However, it is already experiencing a strong recovery, which should continue as long as conditions for success are maintained, particularly through access to talent.
Animation: The animation sector, on the other hand, was able to continue its activities completely through remote work, which resulted in continued growth, with a 22% increase in the number of FTE jobs.
Rolling Green – A collaborative green initiative for film sets: Like the big production studios in the U.S., the shift to sustainable film production for Quebec film sets has become a priority in order to position the province as a leader in sustainable audiovisual productions. To mobilize its industry, on April 30, 2021, the QFTC, the Conseil Québécois des Événements Écoresponsables (CQEER) and Québecor, cofounders of the project, in the presence of Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, launched the Rolling Green project, which offers several tools for transitioning to “green” practices.
Innovative, reinvented Fam Tours: The QFTC managed to reinvent itself by creating a total virtual reality production promoting Quebec’s advantages, the first initiative of its kind in the world! Presented as part of the virtual representation tours, this initiative helped position the QFTC’s corporate image and Quebec’s services in the eyes of international producers.
Impact assessment – Increasing infrastructure capacity: Last winter, the QFTC, in collaboration with the independent firm RCGT, conducted a study related to the possibility of adding new facilities to its existing infrastructure in order to increase—or even double—our production capacity. To accomplish this, several collaborators worked with us on the study, namely, the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation, AQTIS Section 514 IATSE, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the Fonds d’investissement de la culture et des communications (FICC), Investissement Québec, Montréal International, Grandé Studios, SODEC and MELS.
“Release Your Creativity” project: Thanks to the support of the City of Montreal, the School of Digital Arts, Animation and Design at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (NAD-UQAC) and its partner studios, Caribara, DNEG, Framestore, Method Studios, REEL FX and Technicolor (including its three brands, MPC, Mr. X and Mikros), the QFTC developed a leadership training program for female VFX/animation artists in order to offer two cohorts the tools they need to be able to position themselves as leaders in their industry. In addition, a mentoring program for young graduates was created to facilitate the school-work transition for young industry graduates.
3D&VFX glossary: The QFTC and SYNTHÈSE – Pôle Image Québec jointly developed a glossary for the 3D animation and visual effects sector. Supported financially by the l’Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), this free and openly accessible tool aims to promote the use of the correct French terminology in the industry. Visit lexique-3D.com to find out more.
The Canadian Film Commissions Network: There were more meetings of the Canadian Film Commissions Network in 2020–2021 in the context of the pandemic. Through monthly virtual meetings, the network greatly facilitated the exchange and sharing of news among all Canadian provinces across all levels of representation. More than 30 film commissions participated in each of these meetings.
BOARD ELECTIONS AND NEW “ANIMATION” SEAT
The Annual General Meeting also allowed us to hold elections for several seats on the Board of Directors. Philippe Montel (Productions Belzébuth) was re-elected by acclamation for the “Production Director” board subcommittee; Nicolas Savoie (Difuze) was re-elected by acclamation for the “Service Provider” board subcommittee and Marie-Claude Poulin (MCP Productions) was re-elected for the “Producer” board subcommittee.
In anticipation of the election for the “Visual Effects Providers” board subcommittee, the Board of Directors proposed, during the AGM, that the sub-committee be divided into two separate seats, namely, “Visual Effects Providers” and “Animation Studios, Producers and Suppliers”, in order to ensure better representation of all business sectors represented by the Council.
This proposal was adopted by the majority of the members of the QFTC. The election process to fill these two seats will begin in the days to come.
CONFERENCE: VISUAL EFFECTS — GIVING ENTREPRENEURS THE FLOOR
During the annual general meeting, the QFTC was honoured to welcome as guest speakers Sébastien Moreau, CEO of Rodeo FX and Pierre Raymond, cofounder, Senior Advisor and Ambassador of Hybride Technologies. These two great Quebec entrepreneurs joined Pierre Moreau in a discussion about the success factors that gave international visibility to their businesses and about the place of entrepreneurship in the visual effects industry in Quebec.
We extend warm thanks to these two Quebec visionaries for agreeing to share their experience, advice and vision of the industry with our members.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The QFTC thanks again its presenting partner for the AGM, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton :
The Council would also like to acknowledge the indispensable contribution of all its private and public partners, as well as all its Prestige partners and its members. We extend sincere thanks for your confidence during this unprecedented year.
To learn more, read the Annual Report (*English version will be available in July):
